Can sign-naïve adults learn about the phonological regularities of an unfamiliar sign language from minimal exposure?
Hofweber, Julia ; Aumonier, Lizzy ; Janke, Vikki ; Gullberg, Marianne LU
and Marshall, Chloe
(2024)
In Language Development Research
4(1).
p.455-480
- Abstract
- Adults can extract phonological regularities from just several minutes’ exposure to natural-istic input of an unknown spoken language (Gullberg et al., 2010). We examined whether such implicit statistical learning mechanisms also operate in the sign language modality. The input materials con-sisted of a continuous sign stream in the form of a weather forecast in Svenskt Teckenspråk (STS). L1-speakers of English with no prior knowledge of a sign language were assigned to two experimental groups who watched the forecast once (N=43) or twice (N=38), and a control group who did not watch it (N=40). Participants completed a ‘surprise’ lexical decision task designed to tap into their awareness of the phonological properties of the core STS... (More)
- Adults can extract phonological regularities from just several minutes’ exposure to natural-istic input of an unknown spoken language (Gullberg et al., 2010). We examined whether such implicit statistical learning mechanisms also operate in the sign language modality. The input materials con-sisted of a continuous sign stream in the form of a weather forecast in Svenskt Teckenspråk (STS). L1-speakers of English with no prior knowledge of a sign language were assigned to two experimental groups who watched the forecast once (N=43) or twice (N=38), and a control group who did not watch it (N=40). Participants completed a ‘surprise’ lexical decision task designed to tap into their awareness of the phonological properties of the core STS lexicon. They viewed individual signs and indicated whether or not these could be real STS signs. The signs comprised four sets: STS signs that (1) were presented, and (2) were not presented, in the forecast; and signs that are not STS signs and (3) contain handshapes outside the STS handshape inventory, and (4) contain sets of phonological features that are dispreferred across sign languages. We found no evidence of any learning of STS phonological reg-ularities. Considered in conjunction with two companion studies which did demonstrate some learning of sign forms and their meanings from these same input materials, our findings suggest limits to what can be learnt after just a few minutes of implicit and naturalistic exposure to language in an unfamiliar modality: information about specific lexical items is learnable, but information that requires general-isation across items may require greater amounts, or a different quality, of input. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/88f2c6f4-f58a-448b-986e-78da1884cef1
- author
- Hofweber, Julia
; Aumonier, Lizzy
; Janke, Vikki
; Gullberg, Marianne
LU
and Marshall, Chloe
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-11-26
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- sign lanuage, implicit learning, first exposure, phonological regularities, Iconicity
- in
- Language Development Research
- volume
- 4
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 26 pages
- ISSN
- 2771-7976
- DOI
- 10.34842/hofweber
- project
- Breaking into sign language: the role of input and individual differences
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 88f2c6f4-f58a-448b-986e-78da1884cef1
- date added to LUP
- 2024-11-27 09:24:27
- date last changed
- 2025-01-27 15:15:43
@article{88f2c6f4-f58a-448b-986e-78da1884cef1,
abstract = {{Adults can extract phonological regularities from just several minutes’ exposure to natural-istic input of an unknown spoken language (Gullberg et al., 2010). We examined whether such implicit statistical learning mechanisms also operate in the sign language modality. The input materials con-sisted of a continuous sign stream in the form of a weather forecast in Svenskt Teckenspråk (STS). L1-speakers of English with no prior knowledge of a sign language were assigned to two experimental groups who watched the forecast once (N=43) or twice (N=38), and a control group who did not watch it (N=40). Participants completed a ‘surprise’ lexical decision task designed to tap into their awareness of the phonological properties of the core STS lexicon. They viewed individual signs and indicated whether or not these could be real STS signs. The signs comprised four sets: STS signs that (1) were presented, and (2) were not presented, in the forecast; and signs that are not STS signs and (3) contain handshapes outside the STS handshape inventory, and (4) contain sets of phonological features that are dispreferred across sign languages. We found no evidence of any learning of STS phonological reg-ularities. Considered in conjunction with two companion studies which did demonstrate some learning of sign forms and their meanings from these same input materials, our findings suggest limits to what can be learnt after just a few minutes of implicit and naturalistic exposure to language in an unfamiliar modality: information about specific lexical items is learnable, but information that requires general-isation across items may require greater amounts, or a different quality, of input.}},
author = {{Hofweber, Julia and Aumonier, Lizzy and Janke, Vikki and Gullberg, Marianne and Marshall, Chloe}},
issn = {{2771-7976}},
keywords = {{sign lanuage; implicit learning; first exposure; phonological regularities; Iconicity}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{11}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{455--480}},
series = {{Language Development Research}},
title = {{Can sign-naïve adults learn about the phonological regularities of an unfamiliar sign language from minimal exposure?}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.34842/hofweber}},
doi = {{10.34842/hofweber}},
volume = {{4}},
year = {{2024}},
}